# 69
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With my hand still on the doorknob, I stood there awkwardly and asked.
"… What do you do?"
"What do you mean?"
“You were looking at something now.”
“…I was reviewing the Duchy’s quarterly report which must be completed by today.”
“But the cover was pink.”
“Maybe you saw it wrong.”
His response was as sharp as a knife. His expression was cold, almost mechanical.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
"Yes."
Finally, she let go of the doorknob and straightened up.
What was that? He seemed very confident.
Did I really see that wrong?
I'm pretty sure the book that just dropped had a cover similar to the romance guide I bought at the library...
'Well, there's no way Ian could read something like that. He might have simply thrown it away, calling it uess.'
The idea of Ian reading a romance book was as ridiculous as Diana declaring that she would be single forever.
After clearing my throat, I collected myf.
That wasn't what mattered now.
I walked past Ian's office with purpose and slammed my hand on his desk.
“Let's go on a date.”
He stared at me, perhaps wondering why I was making a date proposal seem like a sparring challenge.
My eyes burned so bad.
"This is clearly not going to work. We need to restore order from empty rumors in the social world."
“Restoring order… to the social world?”
Ian had a look on his face like he had no idea what kind of nonsense I was spouting.
But by this time, I had gotten used to that expression.
I closed my eyes briefly, opened them again, and spoke.
"You don't need to know the details. I'll make my position clear to the people who read and subscribe to that ridiculous newsletter."
Ian Cloud is Diana's best groom, you stupid noble.
"I'm sorry, but this time you have no right to criticize. As your teacher, I'm reporting to you, so you'd better-"
“Let's do this.”
“Huh?”
Before I could finish my sentence, Ian nodded and began tidying up his desk.
What? He was difficult earlier, so why was he so obedient all of a sudden?
Now I was the one who felt the surprise.
I blinked in confusion, then he suddenly looked at me.
“Is this another ‘training’ session?”
"What?"
“I'm asking if this is training or a real date.”
I stared at him in shock before answering.
“If I had to say… I guess it's more of a date than a training session?”
This time, I wasn't going to correct his behavior or anything like that.
He nodded, looking more accepting than before.
“It will take about an hour to prepare. Then let's go out.”
"now?"
I was planning to go out this weekend...
She stared at Ian, who was suddenly in a hurry, completely confused.
He started to really tidy up and stand up, and gave me a sideways look.
“Is there a problem?”
...No, no problem.
Didn't he just say something about having to finish those documents by today?
Questions ran through my mind, but his cold expression prevented me from voicing them.
“Okay, that's fine by me.”
The sooner we deal with this rumor, the more effective it will be.
“Okay, let's meet in the lobby in an hour.”
❖ ❖ ❖
When I arrived at the lobby on time, I realized something was wrong.
I was expecting him to dress casually since he said it would take an hour to prepare, but my expectations were completely wrong.
'Why does he look so elegant?'
Ian, who was standing in the middle of the hallway, looked very handsome.
His hair was neatly slicked back, and he was wearing a light ivory summer suit, making him look brighter than usual.
He looked so good that I hesitated to approach him.
“Ah… the Grand Duke?”
“You are here.”
When I approached him hesitantly, he turned to face me.
'He looks even more handsome up close.'
It seemed like he had put in more effort than he did when we received an invitation to the Imperial Palace.
'It can't be...'
'Is this another practice?'
'No, it can't be like that'
I shook my head slightly, trying to dismiss the ridiculous idea.
There's no way this calm robot could wear such an outfit on a real date.
'But then, what did he mean by that question earlier?'
Doubt lingered in my mind for a moment.
But before I could finish my thoughts, he politely offered me his arm, and my superficial musings were interrupted for that moment.
“Allow me to accompany you.”
"…Good."
The strange atmosphere continued as we rode the carriage.
I was very serious about showing everyone. For some reason, Ian kept staring at me intently, which made things seem even weirder.
“…Is there something on my face?”
"no."
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
Normally, Ian would have closed his eyes the moment he entered the carriage, but this time, he didn't take his eyes off me for even a second. It was hard to tell if he was deep in thought or just watching me. After a moment of hesitation at my question, he slowly closed his eyes and opened them.
“Do I need a reason to look at the wife I'm dating?”
“N-no...”
When he said it like that, there was no room for a response.
I was just confused because he doesn't usually act this way.
However, Ian didn't seem to give me an answer that would clear up my confusion.
Just as I turned my head toward the window in silence, he spoke again.
“...your dress.”
What's wrong with my dress?
Is there something wrong with it? I intentionally chose this light lavender color today.
I quickly lowered my head to check, but I couldn't complete the movement.
“You look beautiful today. Like a hydrangea.”
I froze.
After a long pause, I slowly raised my head.
Across from me, Ian was still looking directly at me without avoiding my gaze.
"… What did you say?"
“I said, ‘You look like a hydrangea.’”
My ears became hot instantly.
“…This is so strange!”
❖ ❖ ❖
After that, I barely remembered the rest of the carriage ride.
I was focusing too much on avoiding eye contact with Ian.
When we finally reached the busiest place in the city, Levant Grand Square, Ian got out of the carriage first and offered me his hand.
As I gently placed my hand in his and stepped outside, I felt all eyes on us in an instant.
'This is it.'
I looked around at the people who were whispering among themves after seeing the Grand Duke and I together and couldn't help but smile with relief.
'I'll act kindly and affectionately, you'd all better watch cloy.'
There was no way I was going to let my efforts with Ian go to waste over a ridiculous scandal involving Duke Hayden Roger.
I clung to Ian's arm and flashed a wide smile, deliberately keeping myf close to him.
"Sir, the weather is so wonderful! I'm so happy to go on a date like this! I can't express how happy I am that you made time for me despite your busy schedule."
I swear, if I had pursued an acting career, I probably would have won Best Actress.
I even felt nauseous at how cute I was smiling with my eyes half closed.
Sure, Ian was a bit stiff, and I was going to ignore that this time.
I was waiting for his usual cold, dismissive look, but surprisingly, his reaction was not what I expected.
Instead of looking down at me, he froze for a moment and just stared at me. Then he moved a little closer to me, subtly.
“Yes, I feel the same way.”
…What?
Before I could fully process my confusion, he deftly wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him.
This was very different from a few weeks ago when I had pestered him during our trip into town, and he dismissed it as pointless.
Now I was the one frozen in place by the strong grip around my waist.
"…my lord?"
“If there is somewhere you want to go, I will accompany you.”
The situation changed in an instant.
I stared at him, completely confused, while he looked at me with this calm, unobtrusive look.
'Is this man really the Grand Duke?'
To make matters worse, I felt that the already intense gazes were becoming more pronounced.
'Don't panic, don't panic.'
Calm down, Eloise.
I don't know what kind of sudden changes occurred in his heart, but I don't have the luxury to be affected by it.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to regain my senses.
Then I boldly buried my face on his chest.
"Oh my God, sir! I'm happy to go anywhere, as long as I'm with you!"
I could hear gasps of shock from the onlookers around us.